We tried to make a place for kids to ice skate and a place for their parents to watch.

We wanted kids to have something to do here besides hiking. It's a place where families can get out of town, out of the hustle and bustle.

There's energy and leadership at the top, but there is a task to be done in getting parents and kids to understand some of the ideas. You can do a lot from the top, but you can't do everything. Schools are local. The leadership needs to reach out and help the public understand the challenge.

It's a great time. They're in their own dorms with no parents, only coaches and their buddies. And Little League treats them like kings – a video game center, ping pong, a pool, ice cream . . . you name it, anything a kid could want. And on top of that, they get to play baseball.

Every individual face, a grandmother or grandchild or parents and their two kids, they're all there waving at you and they've all come to see you, it's as simple as that. They're not there simply by chance and that's very, very humbling.

[Parents can't get enough of the report cards.] In previous years at the State Fair, ... the department had kids throw beanbag frogs into holes. Last year, we printed out 5,000 school report cards instead. Parents would come up and say, 'I'm thinking of moving, or using open enrollment. Can you print out a report card for this neighborhood school, and the schools close to it?' What a change!